This I Believe

With the Earth under my feet and the everlasting sky above me, I believe in travel. Any kind will do; a quick trip to Miami, or a weeklong get-a-way to the mountains of Vermont. Any thing to clear my mind for a minute and let me just be. The congestion of everyday life makes thinking, working, or doing anything productive a little difficult after a while. Traveling brings the greatest opportunities, seeing other places and other types of people, different surroundings than ones you are usually used to, and the ability to come home, and go about your life.

One thing is certain, no matter how long you are gone, be it a day, a week, or a month, you will always long for the comfort of your own bed. Hotel beds, Pull-out couches, blowup mattresses, are all fun and cozy for the eight hours (or less) in which they’re needed, but nothing can ever compete with the security of your very own bed. Traveling reminds you of that. It reminds you of the reassurance you feel when you are wrapped up in your favorite comforter and snuggled between as many pillows you can get a hold of.

But traveling also reminds you of the simpler things. Which is why traveling to visit the insane and obscure family members that we all have, is the greatest form of traveling. Camping on an island in the middle of a Maine lake reminds you that a sleeping bag and your family is all you really need. And after you take that canoe trip back to the main land, you will always remember that. Roaming around on that deserted island for a couple of days brings you and your cousins, uncles, aunts and assorted pets, closer. After all, isn’t that what traveling is all about? Seeing other places, bonding with other people, and learning about what is really true in life.

I guess what I’m really trying to say is, that I believe in family, and everything that comes with it. I believe in the insanity, in cribbage tournaments, and the everlasting bonds you have. But, truly I believe in being with family, which is where the traveling comes in handy. I think that families get better and better with each and every visit. The older you get, the more important you find family to be, and the more you come to love each and every single member of your family.

So to finish this off, I just want to recap all the things I believe in; family, travel, love, insanity, sleeping bags, and cribbage. And I’m almost certain that’s all that is needed in life.

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Top 100 Essays USB Drive

This USB drive contains 100 of the top This I Believe audio broadcasts of the last ten years, plus some favorites from Edward R. Murrow's radio series of the 1950s. It's perfect for personal or classroom use! Click here to learn more.

This week’s essay

Growing up in the former Yugoslavia, lawyer Djenita Pasic enjoyed the peace of her religiously diverse country. But after the fall of communism and the outbreak of the Bosnian War, Pasic was forced to reevaluate her ideas about religion and tolerance. Click here to read her essay.